Apparatus for using compressed air



(No Model.)

0- E. BUELL. BSheets-Bhset 1; Apparatus for Using Compressed Air. No.240.084. Patented Aprill2; 1881.-

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. G. E. BUELL.

Apparatus for Using Compressed Air.-

No. 240,084. Paien'ted April 12,188I.

111v erifor I L'hafles 17 BueIl'.

N.PEI'ERSI PHOTO-LITMOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. A C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHAR-LES E. BUELL, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

APPARATUS FOR USING COMPRESSED AIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,084, dated April12, 1881.

Application filed January 3, 1881. (No model.)

10 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES E. BUELL, acitizen of the United States, residing at New Haven, in the countyof NewHaven and State of Connecticut, have inventednew and useful Improvementsin Apparatus for Using Compressed Air, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to means for supplying compressed air to the airholders or reservoirs of motors adapted to use compressed air as amotive agent.

The main object of the invention is to obviate the expense, danger, andinconvenience attendant upon the heretofore prevailing practices, first,of providing railway-vehicles adapted for propulsion by compressed airwith large air-holders and charging the same with a sufficient quantityof compressed air to be used for making an entire trip; and, second, oflaying pipes the entire length of railways to supply air to the vehiclesat intermediate points from a single air-compressin g station, toprovide means for charging the air-holders of vehicles upon therespective tracks of doubletrack railways, and to facilitate repair ofairstoring apparatus.

It consists, first, in the combination, with a double-track railway, ofan air-compressing apparatus having an extensible andautomatically-collapsible air-holder provided with two adjustablesupply-pipes arranged for supplying compressed air to the air-holders ofvehicles in difi'erent positions upon the respective lines of road, andprovided with suitable cocks or valves for controlling the flow of air,essentially as hereinafter more particularly described; secondly, in thecombination, with an air-compressing apparatus, of an extensible and'automatically-collapsible compressed-air holder arranged for connectionwith said apparatus, and to have its extension automatically effected bythe pressure of air within it and its collapse occasioned in proportionto the withdrawal of the air, whereby a uniform tension of the airwithin the holder is maintained Without regard to'thc quantity therein.

In compressed-air holders heretofore used the tension has decreased asthe air is drawn oil for use, and a frequent operation of the of acompressed-air holder divided into compartments connected with saidapparatus and with each other by a common pipe, and with each other alsobya separate pipe, said pipes being provided with suitable cocks,whereby the flow of air may be permitted to take place to or from anyofsaid compartments separately or simultaneously, so that anyone may beused independently of the other or others. Should one or morecompartments get out of order, it or they may be isolated and repairedwhile the other or others continue in use.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view ofadouble-track railway and a view in elevation of the apparatus of an aircompressing and supply station according to my invention. Fig. 2illustrates a modified construction of air-holder having twocompartments. Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating a' series of two aircompressing and supply stations arranged on a line of railway. Fig. 4 isa view in elevation of an air compressing and supply station and alocomotive having one of the station supply-pipes connected with itsair-holder for supplying compressed air thereto.

Referring to Fig. 1, theletters A and A indicate the tracks of adouble-track railway.

B is an air-compressing pump, of which 0 is the steam-cylinder, and Dthe air-compressing cylinder, from which a pipe, E, provided with apressure-gage, e, a safety-valve, e, and stop-cock d, leads to andconnects with the lower portion of the stationary section f of anextensible air-holder, F, which is located in an excavation or pit atoneside of the railway and below the level thereof.

Within the stationary section f of the airholder fits an extensible ortelescopic section,

f, closed at its top but open at its lower end,

which is not shown in the drawings. The telescopic joint between the twosections f and f should be made air-tight by any suitable means, and thesection f remains in its lowest or collapsed position by gravity, exceptwhen raised or extended by the volume of compressed air, as presentlydescribed.

From the lower part of the stationary section f there leads upward apipe, G, which extends to a proper point above the level of the railwayon the outside of one of the tracks, and has connected to its upper enda flexible supply-pipe, H, which is to be provided with a suitablecoupling device for connecting it to a match coupling attached to theair-holder of a vehicle upon the track. The pipe G is provided with asuitable stop-cock, h, which controls the flow of air through said pipeto the supply-pipe H.

From the pipe G a branch pipe, G, leads under the tracks, and is bentupward at the outside of the opposite track, extending above the levelthereof to the same height as pipe G, and is provided with a flexiblesupply-pipe, H, and stop-cock h, similar to those of said pipe G.

The operation or" the apparatus as now described is as follows: Thecocks h and It being closed and the cock cl opened, the pump B is set towork and compresses air, which is led from the cylinder D by the pipe Eto the airholder F, entering the stationary section f and extensiblesection f". When the holder has been filled in its collapsed conditionwith air under a proper pressure, (which pressure may be regulated byweighting the extensible section, further additions to the volume of airby the action of the pump will cause the extensible section to begradually raised until the holder becomes charged with the desiredquantity of compressed air, when the cock d should be closed and theaction of the pump closed. The holder F being thus charged, when alocomotive arrives at the station, as shown in Fig. 4, the flexiblesupply-pipe H or H is connected with the coupling I of the airholder Kof the locomotive, and the stop-cock h or k and the cock I. of thelocomotive coupling-pipe opened. Compressed air will then flow from thestation air-holder to the airholder of the locomotive, and such air willhave approximately the same tension or expansive force that it had inthe station-holder, as it is constantly under the compressile strainoccasioned by the weight of the extensible section f. A secondlocomotive may be supplied in like manner without any addition to thecharge in the station air-holder, as the air remaining therein will beunder proper compression by the weight of the extensible section. Thenumber of locomotives which may be supplied from one charge depends, ofcourse, upon the capacity of the holder at the station.

In Fig. 4 the air-compressing pump is sup pesgd to be housed in thestation-house L, and the air-holder and portions of the pipes are simplyindicated by dotted lines.

Each station may be supplied with two or more air-holders, such as shownin Fig. 1, arranged in series, and the pipe E provided with branchesleading to said holders, respectively, and one serving to connect withthe flexible supply-pipe; and the stationary sections of said holdersmay be connected by separate pipes provided with stop-cocks, so thatcommunication between the holders may be established or cutoff at will.Thus connected with each other and with the pipe E, all the holders maybe used simultaneously, and form, in effect, one holder with severalcompartments, either of which may be isolated for repair or any otherpurpose, while the other or others remain in operative condition.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a modified form of air-holder having twocompartments, F F, not extensible. The pipe E is supposed to lead froman air-compressing pump, and has a branch, E to extend above the trackof a railway and connect with the flexible supplypipe H This branch Ealso has a branch, E to lead under the tracks, bend upward, and connectwith another flexible supply-pipe. Short branches e and 0 provided withstopcocks, lead from the common main pipe E to the compartments F and F,respectively, and these compartments are connected by a pipe, M,provided with a satety-valvem, and pressuregage 0, and also with stop-cocks p and p on opposite sides of said gage and valve. By opening thestop-cock in the branch pipe e, which leads from pipe E to compartmentF, and also opening the cooks p and p and closing the cock in branch 0both compartments may be charged at once, and the pressure-gage willindicate when a proper compression of the air has been effected. Byclosing the cock in branch (2 and opening that in branch 6 the sameresult maybe accomplished. By closing the cock in the branch 6 and alsothe cook 19 the compartment F will be isolated and may be repaired, ifnecessary, while the other compartment remains in use; and similarly thecompartment F may be isolated by closing the cock 1; and that in branch0 Communication between the compartment in use and the pipe M should bemaintained in order to operate the pressuregage, and also thesafety-valve, should occasion require it.

Any suitable air-compressing pump may be used, and I have therefore notillustrated any particular pump in detail. For the same reason I havenot thought it necessary to show any particular devices for coupling theflexible supply-pipes to-the air-holders of the 10- comotive. Neither doI confine myself to any special construction of the air-holders, thoughI consider the forms shown and described as the best I know of. 1

In practice I would provide-the locomotives on a railway with smallair-holders having no great weight and locate the air compressing andsupply stations at convenient distances apart along the track or tracks,and thus avoid pressed-air holder provided with two supplypipes arrangedfor supplying compressed air to the air-holders of vehicles in differentpositions upon the respective lines of road, and provided with cocks orvalves for controlling the flow of air, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with an air-compressin g apparatus, of an extensibleand automatically collapsible compressed air holder arranged forconnection with said apparatus, and to have its extension automaticallyefl'ected by the pressure of ,air within it and its collapse 00-casioned in proportion to the withdrawal of the air, substantially asdescribed.

3. The combination, with an air-compressing apparatus, of acompressed-air holder divided into compartments connected with saidapparatus and with each other by a common pipe, and with each other alsoby aseparate pipe, said pipes being provided with suitable stop-cocks,whereby the flow of air may take place to or from said compartmentsseparately or simultaneously, so that any one may be used independentlyof the other or others, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

CHAS. E. BUELL.

Witnesses:

JAMES L. Noams, 'ALBERT H. NORRIS.

